Horseshoe Mountain is a high mountain summit in the Mosquito Range of the Rocky Mountains of North America. The 13,905-foot (4,238 m) thirteener is located 7.1 miles (11.5 km) southeast by east (bearing 126°) of the City of Leadville, Colorado, United States, on the drainage divide separating San Isabel National Forest and Lake County from Pike National Forest and Park County.[1][2][3]
| Horseshoe Mountain | |
|---|---|
.JPG) The mountain and its prominent cirque | |
| Highest point | |
| Elevation | 13,905 ft (4,238 m)[1][2] |
| Prominence | 758 ft (231 m)[2] |
| Isolation | 2.83 mi (4.55 km)[2] |
| Coordinates | 39°11′09″N 106°11′07″W / 39.1858243°N 106.1852987°W[3] |
| Geography | |
  Horseshoe Mountain | |
| Location | Lake and Park counties, Colorado, United States[3] |
| Parent range | Mosquito Range[2] |
| Topo map | USGS 7.5' topographic map Mount Sherman, Colorado[3] |
| Climbing | |
| Easiest route | hike |
Cirque
The mountain has a unique and prominent cirque. The cirque is tilted and made up of Paleozoic sedimentary rocks that formed on the floors of ancient seas. It is rare to find sedimentary rocks this high up in Colorado's higher elevations, for most sedimentary stata in the high country were eroded away by glaciers during the ice age. In this case, the glaciers sculpted the strata into a horseshoe shape without eroding it completely.[4][5]
